Hat cleaning device



" April 28, 1936. G WOLKENHAUER 2,038,698

HAT CLEANING DEVICE Filed Sept. 15, 1934 INVENTOR.

H15 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 28, 1936 PATENT OFFICE HAT CLEANING DEVICE Gustav Wolkenhauer, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Robert Britigan Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 15, 1934, Serial No. 744,201

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a hat cleaning device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved hat cleaning device that is especially adapted for home or domestic use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hat cleaning device which comprises an. inflatable balloon saddle or buck for supporting-the crown of a hat in a relatively rigid or stiff but somewhat yieldable condition during the cleaning, and new and improved means for exerting a clampingpressure upon the brim of the hat so as to hold the same during the cleaning operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hat cleaning device which comprises a supporting base and a press board adapted to be arranged upon the supporting base and to hold the hat thereon during the operation of cleaning the hat; the said press board being adapted to be readily removed from the supporting base as a unit with the hat held thereby and inverted so that the operator may clean the brim of the hat bymeans of a suitable cleaning instrument held in one hand while holding the hat .and press board.

' An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and efficient arrangement for preventing the escape of air from the inflatable balloon saddle or buck after the inflating operation.

A still further object of the invention is to. provide the hat cleaning device hereinafter described and claimed.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to behereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to theaccompanying drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and .in which:

Fig..1 is a perspective View of a preferred form of the invention in assembled, operative position; 1 Fig, 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail View on line 4-4 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating that the press board and hat held thereby may be removed as a unit from the supporting base and 3 inserted so that the operator may clean the brim of the hat.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the drawing, is generally indicated therein at H), and includes an invertedpan-like support of base ll having a horizontal bed portion 9 and a vertical marginal wall 26 depending from the horizontal bed 9 and extending therearound. This base II is preferably, but not necessarily, formed from a single sheet of metal, for the sake of economy in manufacture.

Attached to the base H at one end thereof is a clip l2 which has at its upper end a lateral extension or arm 13 that projects over and above the bed 9 of the base ll. Likewise attached to the base I I, but at the side edges thereof are clips I 4 which are similar to the clip l3 and each of which has a lateral extension or arm IS, the arms [5 projecting laterally over and above the bed 9 of the base I I.

The new device includes a plate or press board 16 which is adapted to be disposed upon the bed 9 of the base II and to hold a hat, such as 24, thereon. Provided in each side edge of the press board I6 is a mouth l1 and attached to the press board l6 at one end thereof is a latch member l8 which has a depending latch arm or extension which is adapted to be projected through and into latching engagement into a slot so formed in the vertical wall 26 of the supporting base II at the end of the latter opposite the'clip l3.

The invention also comprises an inflatable balloon saddle or buck 21, made of rubber or like elastic material, and having a neck portion 28 which is detachably attached, by its own elasticity, to an attaching nipple 29 that is mounted in and arranged centrally of the bed 9 of the base II; this nipple 29 having an external ovular groove 34 formed therein to facilitate holding the neck 28 of the balloon 21 thereon. Likewise formed in the nipple plug 29 and extending vertically thereinto is a passage 30 which communicates with the balloon saddle 21 when the neck portion 28 of the latter is attached to the nipple plug 29.

Attached at one end to the nipple plug 29 so as to communicate with the passage 30 is a flexible tube that is peferably made of rubber or like material, this tube 3| being extended under the bed 9 of the base II and having its outer end portion projected through a hole 32 that extends transversely through the vertical wall 26' of the supporting base H, at one end of'the latter; a second hole 33 being provided in the 3 vertical wall 26 of the base ll adjacent the hole 32 for a purpose to be explained presently.

Formed in the press board I6 is a centrally Operation In the use of the new device the hat 24 is placed upon the bed 9 of the supporting base II so that the brim portion 25 of the hat rests upon the bed 9 of the base I I and the press board I6 is then placed down upon the bed 9 of the base I I. This is accomplished by registering the notches I! in the press board I6 with the angled upper end portions I5 of the clips I4 while at the same time projecting the press board I6 down over the crown portion 23 of the hat 24 so that the crown portion 24 of the hat is projected through the opening 2| in the press board I6. The press board I6 and the hat 24 attached thereto are then slid (left to right, Fig. 1) over the bed 9 of the base I! so as to project the end portion 22 of the press board I6 under the angled upper end portion-I3 of the clip I2 while at the same time moving the notched portions I? of the press board I6 out of registration with the angled upper end portions I5 of the clips I4. The angled latchlng arm I9 of the latch I8 is then projected through the slot 29 in the vertical wall 26 of the base II, and the press board II and the hat 24 are thus clamped and latched to the base I I.

Theouter end portion 35 of the tube 3| is provided with a mouthpiece 35 and normally this outer end portion 35 of the tube is doubled back upon itself and the mouthpiece 36 projected into the hole 33- in the vertical wall 26 of the base I I.

The hat 24 and the press board I6 being thus arranged'upon the base II,-the mouthpiece 36 itself, as shown in full line, Fig. 1,, and projects the mouthpiece 36 into its socket or opening 33, thereby retaining the tube 35 in its thus folded or bent back position'wherein it acts as a valve to prevent the escape of air from the. inflated balloon-r saddle 21. a

It will be noted that when the balloon saddle or buck 21 is inflated, it exerts an upward pressure upon the hat 24 and the press board or plate I6 tending to dislodge the same from the base I I, but that this action is resisted by the clamping or holding means I 2-I3--I 4-I 5V-I 8 To release the air from the saddle 21- and col- 1 lapse the same after the cleaning operations it balloonsadd-le 2] and the latter collapsesis merely necessary to remove the mouthpiece 36 a of the tube 3I from its socket 33 and allow the outer end portion 35 of the tube tostraighten itself. out, whereupon the air escapes from the The press board I6 and the hat 24 may then be removed from the base II by releasing the latch arm I-9 of the latch I8 from the slot 29 and sliding the press board I6 and the hat 24 (right to left, Fig.- 1), thus registering the notches IT with the angled upper end portion I5 of the clips 14 and at the same time removing, the end edge portion 22 of the press board I6 from under the angled upper end portion I3 of the clip I2, whereupon the press board I6 and the hat 24 may be removed together as a unit from the base II.

may then be inserted into the position of Fig. 5 so that the operation may clean the brim portion 25 of the hat.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction-for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, thecombination of: a supportingbase for the brim portion of a hat; a plate slidably arranged upon said base; said plate having notches formed in parallel edges thereof and having an opening formed therein for the reception of the crown portion of said hat; an inflatable saddle mounted upon said base and expansible into the said crown portion of said hat; a tubular member having connection with said saddle for inflating the same; and

means for detachably clamping said plate upon said base; said clamping means including clip members attached to said base and having angled upper end portions projecting over said base above the latter; certain of said angled end portions being registerable with said notches so that said plate may be attached to and removed from said base.

'2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting base; a flat clamping plate having an opening formed therein adapted to receive the crown portion of a hat in inverted position and the said plate having a portionrdefining the marginal edges of said opening providing a support for the brim portion of a hat when the crown portion of the latter is inserted into said opening in inverted position; said supporting base being adapted to receive thesaid clamping plate with the brim portion of the said hat resting thereon between the said base and the said plate; an inflatablesaddle mounted'- upon. 7

disposed in upright position upon said supporting base; and means for attaching said'clamping plate 7 to said supporting base. 1

3. A hat cleaning device comprising a support, a plate having an opening for the passage therethrough of the crown of a hat, said plate adapted to lie upon said support, means for removably attaching said plate to said support, a detachable inflatable member attached to and passing through said support and through the open- .ing' of, said plate into the crown of I said hat, an air inlet and outlet tube for inflating and deflating said inflatable member, said tube leading at its open end through one opening in said support and adapted to be bent back upon itself to fit into and be held by a second opening in said support and act as a valve to prevent the escape of air from the said inflated member, said inflatable member adapted upon being inflated to substantially fill the crown of said hat and support the same in position and condition so that all parts of the same may be exposed for cleaning by direct contact.

GUSTAV QLKENHAU R. 

